Ben Cherington made his focus for this year’s trade deadline clear. He wanted to make the Pirates a better team in 2026.
For the fifth time in his six seasons as the team’s general manager, the Pirates were sellers at the deadline. For the sixth year in a row, they will finish with a losing record.
The Pirates were active leading up to the deadline, making a total of six trades (you can read about each one on our site). If you squint hard enough at a couple of those deals, you could make a case the Pirates will be better in 2026 because of them. But if you look at the big picture, you’ll be left scratching your head wondering how the heck the Pirates will be any better next season.
Let’s grade each trade that was made this month for the Pirates, and give some parting thoughts on the deadline as a whole for those stationed at 115 Federal St.
Pirates acquire INF Cam Devanney from Royals for Adam Frazier
The Pirates got a jump on their deadline deals when they shipped veteran Adam Frazier to Kansas City for minor league infielder Cam Devanney during the All-Star break.
Devanney is on the older side for a prospect (28) but has a solid track record in Triple-A and gives the Pirates an option at shortstop and other infield positions. In 10 games with Indianapolis since the trade, Devanney is slashing .294/.429/.328 with one home run.
For a rental like Frazier, it’s hard to envision a much better return than the one the Pirates got. If not a player like Devanney, Pittsburgh would have probably gotten a lottery ticket from the low levels of the minors.
Grade: B+
Pirates acquire LHP Taylor Rogers and INF Sammy Stafura from Reds for 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes
The Pirates went quiet for a while after the Frazier trade, but their next with a somewhat surprising move in trading Ke’Bryan Hayes to the division-rival Reds for reliever Taylor Rogers and infield prospect Sammy Stafura.
Hayes’ elite defense pairs with anemic offense, and the trade not only allows the Pirates to upgrade offensively at third base, but gives them more future payroll flexibility.
In return, Rogers was dumped for salary relief (more on that below). Stafura, Cincinnati’s second round pick in 2023, is the Pirates’ new No. 7 prospect according to MLB Pipeline. He won’t contribute in Pittsburgh for a while, but he has some tools and is off to a solid start in his professional career.
Grade: B
Pirates acquire RHP Jeter Martinez from Mariners for LHP Caleb Ferguson
The Hayes trade was shortly followed by another, when the Pirates sent Caleb Ferguson to the active Seattle Mariners for pitching prospect Jeter Martinez.
Ferguson was one of the handful of rentals that was virtually guaranteed to be playing elsewhere in August. Martinez, who checks in at No. 21 on the Pirates’ top 30, has a couple good pitches but lacks command. The 19-year-old has a 6.16 ERA with 38 walks in 62.2 innings on the season, but performed better during his first two seasons in the Mariners’ system.
But again, a rental reliever of Ferguson’s caliber won’t fetch a ton. The Pirates hunted upside in the form of a project in this deal, which is what they should be doing.
Grade: B+
Pirates acquire C/1B Rafael Flores, C/1B Edgleen Perez and OF Brian Sanchez from Yankees for RHP David Bednar
This one’s a bit of a head-scratcher. The assumption was that the Pirates would trade David Bednar, but given what some other closers went for on the market, this return feels light.
Bednar was in the midst of a strong bounce-back season with the Pirates and seemingly returned to his All-Star form from 2022-23.
Flores, who was the Yankees’ eighth-best prospect, is the clear headline of the deal. He was having a strong season in Double-A before a recent promotion to Triple-A. Perez is regarded as a strong defensive catcher and has shown the ability to get on base, but is hitting .209 with only eight doubles and no home runs in 83 games in Class-A. Sanchez is currently on the 7-day injured list but was having a nice season in Class-A prior to that. He wasn’t included on the Yankees’ top 30 list on Pipeline but checked in at No. 24 on Baseball America.
Flores might contribute in the near future, but it’s an underwhelming return. No other way to put it.
Grade: C-
Pirates acquire LHP Evan Sisk and 1B Callan Moss from Royals for LHP Bailey Falter
The Pirates traded from their rotation, but not Mitch Keller, as some came to expect. Instead, they traded Bailey Falter, who a source told Pittsburgh Baseball Now was a non-tender candidate this offseason, to the Kansas City Royals.
Even though that’s the case, this trade feels like the Pirates dumped Falter for peanuts. To be fair, the Pirates have had success with left-handed pitchers, and Sisk could be a piece of the bullpen moving forward if things work out. But he’s 28 years old and has logged 5.1 innings in the big leagues.
Moss was signed as a non-drafted free agent last year and is in High-A. His inclusion in the deal doesn’t move the needle at all.
Grade: C-
Pirates acquire OF Ivan Brethowr from Cubs for LHP Taylor Rogers
Rogers’ unforgettable career with the Pirates ends after one day. This is a straight salary dump by the Pirates, who are able to get someone for a player that was never going to put on the black and gold.
Rogers was owed the remaining portion for a $12 million salary for 2025. Trading him makes sense, but the Pirates had virtually no leverage since anyone could see this coming from a mile away.
Brethowr was the Cubs’ seventh-round pick in last year’s draft.
Grade C
Overall Thoughts
In a vacuum, the first three trade the Pirates made were logical, and somewhat helpful to be perfectly honest.
But the three trades made on the deadline all left a lot to be desired and the Pirates are no better of now or in 2026 than they were before the trades were made.
Furthermore, the decision to keep three rentals — Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Tommy Pham and Andrew Heaney are equally as puzzling.
It’s tough to see the big picture from these moves. In essence, the Pirates dumped salary and added prospects who are, for the most part, in the lower levels of the minor leagues. The lineup certainly didn’t improve at all. Flores is the only one who could realistically make a real impact in Pittsburgh next season.
The best thing that can be said is they kept Mitch Keller. Maybe the Pirates put themselves in a better spot to make trades by building organization depth.
If it was any other organization, I’d say at least they provided themselves with some financial flexibility to use on free agents this winter. But given the Pirates’ track record, why would anyone believe that?
2025 deadline grade: D+
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